Tap... Tap... Tap...
A figure, resembling a servant, rushed into an open room and said, "Senior Brother Lee Fan, Master wants to see you."
In the spacious room, a man in his thirties lounged on a chair with his feet propped up on a large round table, stuffing something into his mouth from a bowl he held. This man was none other than Lee Fan.
"Whaaat!" Lee Fan spat out the food in his mouth in a panic, his mind racing. 'Why would Master want to see me on such an important day?'
"Did Master say why he's looking for me?" Lee Fan asked the servant, his expression full of concern.
"He didn't say," the servant replied, then added, "But they are waiting for you in the grand guest room."
"They?" Lee Fan frowned at the servant, questioning further.
"Yes, Senior Brother, there are four of them," the servant confirmed with a nod.
"Do you know who's with Master?" Lee Fan pressed for more information.
"They were sitting at the table drinking tea. I recognized two of them, one was Young Master Lee Zhong, and the other was the leader of the Han family. The third person, I'd never seen before," the servant explained in detail, noticing Lee Fan's worried expression.
"Alright. You may go and rest," Lee Fan said, waving the servant away.
As the servant left, Lee Fan's face was filled with unease. He thought. 'Considering today's events, Master wouldn't call me for a trivial matter.'
Lost in thought for a few moments, Lee Fan abruptly stopped and, with anxiety, hurried toward the guest room.
"Master." Reaching the room where his master and the guests were gathered, Lee Fan called out from the doorway without stepping inside.
Hearing the voice, the leader of the Lee family, who was sipping tea in the grand guest room, looked up. Upon seeing who it was, he said, "Lee Fan, come in."
Entering, Lee Fan approached the table and gave a slight bow. "I greet Master and Han family leader," he said, then turned to the young masters. "I greet Young Master and Young Master Han."
"Hmm," a low response came from Lee, who gestured for Lee Fan to sit. "Have a seat."
"No need, Master. I'm fine as I am," Lee Fan replied humbly.
'Interesting. This servant seems to hold a high level of regard from Martial Uncle Lee', Han Fei thought, surprised by the exchange.
Han Fei's astonishment was only natural. In martial society, it was rare for a servant to be treated with such respect. Witnessing it firsthand, Han Fei found it quite intriguing.
As Han Fei pondered, Lee turned his attention to Lee Fan. "Today, I summoned you to answer a few questions about the poison you bought," he said.
'What! Poison? Did something go wrong?' Lee Fan couldn't hide the tension in his face upon hearing his master's words.
"Master, is there a problem with the poison? There shouldn't be," he asked cautiously, his face a mix of curiosity and embarrassment.
"No, there's no issue. The young ones here used the poison. They want to confirm the poison's potency. Based on the results, we'll prepare a backup plan," Lee replied with a long exhale.
"I see. Then I'll explain everything," Lee Fan said, his expression calm as he realized the situation. "It wasn't easy to acquire this poison, Master. When you sent me and my men to the city last month, we searched for days, investigating which poison was the strongest, its price, and how to use it."
"A few days into our search, one of my men overheard a conversation. He came running to me, saying that a poison capable of killing a Martial Peak would be auctioned on the black market."
As Lee Fan enthusiastically continued his account, the group couldn't help but think to themselves.
'A poison that can kill a Martial Peak?'
'Selling such a thing?'
'The Martial Peaks in this city allowing such a poison to exist is madness.'
'Then again, if you have money, you can buy anything.'
The four of them showed varying expressions of disbelief, but Lee Fan pressed on without pause. "When we reached the black market, we learned the poison wouldn't be sold. Some said it had mysteriously disappeared."
"Exactly as I thought. Which Martial Peak would allow a poison capable of killing them to circulate freely?" Han Fei interjected, cutting Lee Fan off.
"I'm not sure, but I had the same thought," Lee Fan replied with a smile, agreeing with Han Fei's reasoning.
"With that situation, my men and I split up and resumed searching for other poisons. There were many available, and a few could even kill Martial Masters."
"So, you bought a poison suitable for Martial Masters," Lee Zhong commented as he put his teacup down.
"Lee Zhong, let him finish," Lee scolded, sensing that Lee Fan was about to reach the critical part of the story.
"Yes, Young Master. Master, you had instructed me to find something that could be applied to a weapon and would kill upon contact with blood."
"Eventually, we found two poisons. One could kill an advanced Martial Master within hours, but it emitted a strong odor, so we decided against it, fearing it would alert the enemy."
"We chose the second poison instead. It's effective against Martial Masters at all stages, odorless, and being an oil-like liquid, perfect for coating weapons."
"Hm!" Lee nodded in approval, his face showing satisfaction.
Seeing his master's pleased expression, Lee Fan was relieved but hesitated before continuing, swallowing hard. "However, the poison has one flaw. If the target is in an environment with a lot of Earth-Stones nearby, its potency diminishes."
"What!" Lee Zhong exclaimed in shock.
"Earth-Stone reduces the poison's effect? By how much?" Han Fei asked, his expression serious.
Noticing their reactions, Lee Fan answered quickly, "The seller claimed that unless the practitioner carried dozens of Earth-Stones on them, the poison's effectiveness would barely be affected."
Hearing this, the family leader' expressions eased somewhat, though the young men still looked tense.
Han Fei, still focused, asked, "How does this poison work against Martial Peaks? Could it kill an early-stage Martial Peak?"
Surprised by the question, Lee Fan replied, "No, Young Master Han. The poison's strength is greatly reduced against Martial Peaks."
"But why do you ask, Young Master? Even though Master didn't explicitly say so, I assumed the poison was intended for an important figure in the town. Isn't the strongest of our families' enemies here a Martial Master?"
At this, a gloomy look crossed the faces of the four men.
Lee Zhong glanced at Lee Fan's curious expression and sighed, speaking as if to clarify, "As you guessed, the poison was already used against one of our enemies. We poisoned the town lord, but he began advancing to Martial Peak in the middle of the battle and escaped," he said, sipping his tea with a deep sigh.
"Whaaat!"
Unaware of this, Lee Fan blurted out, but quickly regained composure and apologetically said. "Master, this poison was the best we could acquire. It was auctioned off on the black market for an exorbitant price, and we almost couldn't get it."
Lee sighed, his gaze softening. "It doesn't matter now. You've done what you were tasked to do. If there are no further questions, you may leave."
"Ah, it seems we're in for some trouble," Han Fei muttered with a grim expression.
When no one else spoke, Lee Fan respectfully excused himself and turned to leave. Just as he was about to step out, Lee Zhong called out, "How long would it take for the poison to kill a level seven Martial Master?"
Pausing for a moment, Lee Fan replied, "Young Master, I was told it could kill an early-stage Martial Master within a few hours, but for a peak-stage Martial Master, it might take up to two days."
"..."
After giving a slight bow, Lee Fan quietly exited the room.